St. Augustine keeps getting better, wallops Godby 44-14

The state playoffs are following a different pattern for the St. Augustine High School football team this season, but it leads to the same familiar place.

The state semifinals.

Again.

The Yellow Jackets are bound for the Class 3A state semifinals, this time on cruise control after their 44-14 rout of visiting Tallahassee Godby on Friday night. The win sends St. Augustine into next Friday's state semifinals against visiting Citra North Marion (12-1), a team the Yellow Jackets beat 20-19 en route to the 3A state title in 2005. It marks St. Augustine's fifth state semifinal appearance since 2001.

Quarterback Kawaun Jakes accounted for three total touchdowns, including two passing, just one piece of a balanced St. Augustine attack. Running backs Marlon Williams, Duane Brady and Cardale Brown all had rushing touchdowns.

Rashard Hall caught one of Jakes' two touchdown passes and intercepted his seventh pass of the season to lead the vicious Yellow Jackets in another defensive clinic.

St. Augustine iced Godby running back British Footman, a Florida State commitment, holding him to just 39 yards on 10 carries. The Yellow Jackets haven't allowed a running back to even reach the 90-yard mark in a game this season.

"I don't even see it by (a margin of victory)," said Jakes, who finished 11 of 15 for 154 yards.

"We just take it one game at a time."

St. Augustine (12-1) hasn't even been remotely challenged in the postseason.

In fact, it looks like it's getting easier as the playoffs progress. The Yellow Jackets beat Raines 21-0 in the opening round and rocked Baker County 30-6.

Friday's thumping of Godby followed the postseason pattern. St. Augustine roared to a 30-0 lead identical to last week's start in Glen St. Mary and moved the ball at leisure against the Cougars (9-4). The only two touchdowns the Yellow Jackets surrendered came on long pass plays and did so when the game was well out of reach.

The wins haven't surprised St. Augustine coach Joey Wiles, who has likened this team to his 15-0 state champs in 2005. But the way the Yellow Jackets are mashing teams this late in the postseason has.

"I'm surprised at the margins," said Wiles, whose team is averaging 32 points in the playoffs and allowing teams just under 7.

"I'm not surprised with how the kids play. They practice hard, they lift hard. I go back again to our defensive staff, they prepare the kids so hard every week and the kids believe everything that's taught to them."

St. Augustine did exactly what it did last week against Baker County jumped out to a huge lead and sucked the momentum right out of its opponent.

The Yellow Jackets milked 5:01 off the clock on their first drive, capping it with a 3-yard run by quarterback Jakes. It was the start of an offensive blitz that left the Cougars frustrated, and a couple of Godby players taunting the St. Augustine crowd at the end of the first half.

"We're striving to get better every game," Hall said. "If we stay the same, what have we accomplished?"

Godby had nothing to give the St. Augustine defense.

Quarterback A.J. Graham hit his first pass attempt of the game, then missed his next eight. One of those went into the hands of defensive back Rashaad Reid, whose 25-yard return to the Cougars' 16 would lead to a 39-yard field goal from Caleb Sturgis.

It was Reid's second big play of the game. A series earlier, he rocked receiver Willie Downs, jarring the ball loose. Two plays later, Darryl Lee partially blocked a punt and St. Augustine took control at the 24. Jakes found Marlon Williams on a swing pass, and Williams pulled a serpentine around two defenders to score from the 6.

"No, not really," said Reid when asked if he was surprised at how easy the Yellow Jackets have made it look.

"We know we're capable of doing it, we just have to come out and do it."

The only luck Godby had came on two busted plays, both from quarterback A.J. Graham to receiver Downs. One was a 56-yard bomb at the end of the second quarter; the other an 80-yard shot in the third. But each throw was against a reserve safety, who took the place of injured starter Carlton Lewis.

One of the only blemishes of the night came in the stat book.

Sturgis, a University of Florida commitment, hit his 12th field goal of the season but had his chance at state history sail outside the uprights.

Sturgis missed a point after attempt following St. Augustine's fourth touchdown, ending a streak of 68 consecutive PATs. The state record is 75.